Think you could be eating healthier? Authors Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin do, and they’re not going to mince words telling you. In their new cookbook, Skinny Bitch in the Kitch (Running Press, 2007), the duo use the same frank, tough-love approach that turned their first book Skinny Bitch (Running Press, 2005) into a New York Times bestseller. In this exclusive LifeScript interview, Barnouin talks about the realities of “eating crap” and shares two of her favorite recipes from the new book…

“Cigarettes are for losers.” “Soda is liquid Satan.” “You need to exercise, you lazy ----.” Freedman and Barnouin aren’t above insulting readers in an effort to get them to change their ways. In fact, that brutal-truth approach has made their books wildly successful, no small feat considering they advocate a strictly organic and vegan diet plan.

Barnouin wasn’t always a model of health. In fact, she regularly scarfed down corned beef hash, canned Vienna sausages and Big Macs. But something happened along the way to the drive-through window. Eight years ago, she stumbled across a magazine about factory farming. “It showed what was happening to the animals, and it was horrifying,” she says. “I swore I’d never eat meat again. I didn’t want to be part of that.” Barnouin went vegetarian, just as her best friend Freedman had done six years earlier.

Still, it wasn’t until Barnouin’s health faltered that she took a long, hard look in her kitchen and overhauled her diet. “I still wasn’t paying attention to what I was eating,” says Barnouin, who now holds a master’s degree in holistic nutrition. “I didn’t have a lot of energy, but I had a lot of anxiety. I knew I needed to find out why I wasn’t feeling well. So I started doing some research on how food affects your mood and your health.” (See related article: Is Your Diet Making You Depressed?)

The more Barnouin learned, the more alarmed she became. She threw out most of the food in her fridge and cabinets and started from scratch. She enrolled in nutrition courses. She compared notes with Freedman, who was also working to improve her diet. One by one, they ditched dairy, sugar, caffeine, artificial sweeteners, processed foods, simple carbs like white flour and pasta, and many other staples of the American diet.

“We couldn’t believe the change that happened with us,” Barnouin says. “Not only did we feel good because we weren’t participating in the harming of animals, but our health was improving and a lot of the problems I was having disappeared. We both said, ‘This is amazing. We’re onto something. Let’s share it with other people.’”

That realization became the basis for the Skinny Bitch books. The title and the tone are, Barnouin admits, more about marketing than anything else. After all, a vegan diet isn’t an easy sell in a country where the average citizen eats nearly twice his or her weight in meat every year. Plus the book is packed with facts about factory farming, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and technical descriptions of food’s impact on the body. Words like “alkalizing” and “antimicrobial” share space with comments like “basic math, girls” and “common sense, bitches.”

“We knew we had something amazing to say, and we needed people to buy the book,” says Barnouin matter-of-factly. “So we decided to write it like we talk because we thought this tone might make the information stick with people.”

Turns out, they were right. “This isn’t new information. It’s been out there,” Barnouin says. “But sometimes people need someone to shake them and say, ‘Come on. You need to get this.’”

So what do people need to get? According to Barnouin and Freedman, meat, dairy products and soda are making us fat and sick. The chemicals and pesticides we’ve been swallowing for years – from aspartame in diet soft drinks to insecticides in our meat and fish to dioxin in our milk – have been linked to illnesses such as cancer and multiple sclerosis. And a government agency’s stamp of approval on a product is no guarantee that it’s safe to eat. The authors condemn the FDA as “F---ing Dumb A--es” and include pages of scary facts to support their criticism. (See related article: Chemical Headache? How to Live a Toxin-Free Life)

Skinny Bitch says it’s time to give up your vices, get moving (you can’t be slim and sedentary), and get smart about what you put into your body. Fill your plate with fruits, vegetables, legumes like lentils and beans, raw nuts and seeds, and whole grain and soy products. Use agave nectar, date sugar or molasses instead of refined sugar. Drink herbal tea instead of coffee (even decaf must go). Read every food label and if you find five or more unrecognizable ingredients, leave it on the shelf.

According to Barnouin, it’s possible to do this without sacrificing taste, texture or meals at trendy restaurants. “We weren’t raised vegetarians. We know what it’s like to be hooked on meat and dairy, and we know how easy it is to eat fast food and to not think about what we put in our bodies,” she says. “If we can do this, anyone can.”

What’s more, “Being a vegan isn’t about eating lettuce,” Barnouin says. “It’s unrealistic to say, ‘Eat steamed vegetables and brown rice every day.’ I would never be able to do that. There are days when I need to have macaroni and cheese. I need brownies and meat loaf and mashed potatoes. But the meat loaf we eat is healthier because we’re not getting the saturated fat we would if it had meat in it. And it’s tasty. There are a lot of amazing things out there to eat if you’re a vegan.”

To prove it, Barnouin and Freeman wrote Skinny Bitch In the Kitch. The book, subtitled Kick-Ass Recipes for Hungry Girls Who Want to Stop Cooking Crap (and Start Looking Hot!), includes 75 recipes for everything from Fettucine Alfredo and 1000 Island Dressing to Philly “Cheesesteak.”

Although the authors promise readers will slim down on their eating plan, the ultimate goal is health – not hip size. “This isn’t about getting on a scale and seeing how much you weigh every day,” Barnouin says. “We don’t even own scales and we don’t want that for women. Not everyone is meant to be skinny. We want you to feel good in your skin and focus on how you feel. How is your health? When you get your cholesterol tested, how are the numbers?”

So why do we eat so much unhealthy food? “I just think life just got really busy,” Barnouin says. “We’re having families and careers. And we have so many quick foods at our convenience. Sure, it’s quicker to buy soup from a can, but you’re not getting the fresh ingredients that you could be putting into your body. It’s time we do whatever we can to keep food as clean and pure as possible so we don’t have to ingest chemicals.”(See related article:What’s Hiding in Your Food? Top 10 Troublesome Ingredients)

Barnouin promises the SkinnyBitch plan isn’t time-consuming, once you get the hang of it. “It’s just a question of, ‘What am I going to eat instead of a hamburger or chicken breast?’ You’re still making dinner and you’re still going to the grocery store. You’re just reaching for something different,” she says. “More and more grocery stores have a green section nowadays, where you can get different soy products and soy alternatives, even in the frozen section.”

2. In a 4- to 6-quart stockpot over high heat, combine 3 quarts of water with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt. Bring water to a boil, add the macaroni, and cook according to the package directions.

3. Meanwhile, in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, combine the squash and milk, stirring and breaking up the squash with a spoon until the squash is defrosted. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

4. Remove the saucepan from heat and whisk in the cheddar, Jack, cream cheese, mustard, cayenne, and the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of salt.

5. When the pasta is done, drain it, then return the pasta to the pot. Stir the cheese sauce into the macaroni. Transfer the entire mixture to the prepared baking pan.

6. In a medium bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and oil. Sprinkle over the top of the macaroni and cheese. Place the casserole dish on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, then broil for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes about 48 cookies

2 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tablespoon baking soda

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 1/2 cups evaporated cane sugar

1 1/4 cups refined coconut oil

1/4 cup ice water

1 tablespoon molasses

1/2 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 (10- to 12-ounce) package vegan chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar and coconut oil using an electric mixer at medium-high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add the water, molasses, and vanilla, mixing until well combined.

4. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in 3 to 4 additions, mixing each addition until almost fully incorporated. Add in the chocolate chips and walnuts, if using, mixing until just combined.

5. Arrange 2-tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 13 to 15 minutes, until the edges are slightly browned and the centers are set. Thoroughly cool on a cooling rack.

Recipes from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Running Press, 2007. Available where books are sold.

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